iTunes home sharing is utterly broken.

It’s broken because it depends heavily on Discoveryd. And as we all know Discoveryd is a mess, and I have to terminate it at least once every two days. Or more. So, although I would love to use my ipad while listening music from my Mac multi-gigabyte library, I can’t. It never works reliably. Or works at all.

The hidden cost of yearly updates on OS X

A fact that has been ignored by both Apple executives as Apple’s focused media, is that the concept of free yearly updates on OS X has drawbacks and hidden costs.

One of them, and the most egregious for me, is that now, if I was to follow each year update to the launch date, I would be without most of my needed/dependable software on time, as new versions and compatibility have to be checked and fixed, and rarely released in time. And I would be in need to purchase the new “updated” version of said software because developers have to eat and if “stability and bug fixes for a launched software” can be done with minimal resources living on the initial and steady number of sales, now most developers will have to test their software against the new OS, the “improved” or deprecated APIs/libraries/functionality, fix it, and launch the software again.

So, if you’re actually heavily invested in OS X productivity software, the new “yearly free updates” now implies to either stop using old software or keep paying the treadmill license for continuous updates of new software. You’re effectively in a worse condition if you depend on your Mac to work than you would be before the yearly update policy took in.

This has to stop. It’s insane. It could be done on iOS ’cause iOS apps are made from the start to be limited and work within the sandbox container, but OS X apps are different and can’t be turned equivalent without destroying the general utility and all-purpose function of the Mac. Most Mac apps are a complex, elaborated piece of software, their developers can’t be expected to keep drastically checking and updating it every year without additional funds. And so, again, they’re actually more expensive to use and less reliable to do so.

Apple, yearly updates to your computer OS are. a. very. bad. idea. Stop it. Please.

iOS 9 & OS X 10.11 to bring ‘quality’ focus

For the first time in several years, Apple is changing up its annual iOS and OS X upgrade cycle by limiting new feature additions in favor of a “big focus on quality,” according to multiple sources familiar with the company’s operating system development plans. We first reported in February that iOS 9, codenamed “Monarch,” would heavily feature under-the-hood optimizations, and we’ve now learned that Apple is taking the same approach with OS X 10.11, codenamed “Gala.” Sources have revealed additional new details on how Apple will optimize the new operating systems for improved stability and performance, add several new security features, and make important changes to its Swift programming tools for developers…

According to sources within Apple’s software development departments, Apple engineers have been pushing executives for a Snow Leopard-style stability focus in 2015, following numerous bugs that clouded the launches of both iOS and OS X. Apple directors reportedly opposed a complete pause on new features, but agreed to focus on quality assurance by holding back some features that were initially planned for the latest operating system launches. One source explained, “I wouldn’t say there’s nothing new for consumers, but the feature lists are more stripped down than the initial plans called for.”

9to5Mac

Quality doesn’t just appear out of thin air because some Apple directors have “ordered it” to do so. It appears when engineers/developers are given time to do it reliably, with focus, and without being always on a perennial treadmill between iOS releases, OS X releases and the god damned September “new iPhone” release!

The fact is that both OS X and iOS will continue to degrade while this yearly update insanity and pairing of iOS and OSX releases with the new iPhone release continues. OS X doesn’t required a yearly upgrade and it has been effectively hurt by doing so. QUality has decreased, stability has decreased, reliability has decreased. What exactly do I need new features in iOS and OS X if not one of them can be relied upon?

Mistake One

Now, Apple’s priorities have changed. Rather than make really great products that are mostly thin, they now make really thin products that are mostly great.

This concerns me more than you probably think it should. Not only does it represent compromised standards in areas I believe are important, but it suggests that they don’t have many better ideas to advance the products beyond making them thinner, and they’re willing to sacrifice anything to keep that going.

Marco Arment – Marco.org

Universal “despair” with Apple’s current products is increasing… And rightfully so. It’s a mess, it’s misguided and it’s much lower value than Apple previously offered.

Something needs to change at Cupertino.

NSFW: Microsoft doesn’t suck, and you don’t have to hate it

I have to admit that I’m pretty excited about some of the stuff Microsoft is working on these days. Every chance I’ve had to use Microsoft Office 2016, I’ve been impressed with how well it works. It’s available as a preview version that can be installed alongside Office 2011 if necessary.

I’ve also been experimenting with Microsoft Windows 10 on my Mac, installed in a virtual machine environment, and I’m also quite impressed with how much better that is than Windows 8.1. Two of my kids use Windows Phones and like them a lot, although they wish their choices of apps were more robust.

Turning your back on Microsoft is fine when you have alternatives that work for you. But many of us live in a world where we have to cooperate with people who still depend on using Microsoft products to get their work done. So being familiar with and continuing to use Microsoft products is ok, really. They’re improving. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is moving the company in a good direction.

Look, it’s all right not to like Microsoft. You’re better off investing your enmity in other things not to like, though — like cancer, typhoons, or people who are mean to animals. Hating a company — Microsoft, Google, Apple, or whichever — is just dumb.

Peter Cohen – iMore